The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1887-10-06

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CORN PALACE, SIOUX CITY.
The grand attraction of this festival is the
corn palace, an allegorical temple Of ceres,
designed by a skilled architect, and made OF
cora and the other cereals of the northwest
Within the palace are exhibited all the
grains grown in Iowa, Nebraska and
Dakota, aud all the other products of the
farm.
The corn palace, as it stands to-day, is in
truth a revelation 1t fronts on Fifth street
30 feet and ON Jackson street one hundred
feet. Rging from the center of the struc-
ture, one hundred by one hundred feet, is
the dome or cupola surmounted by spire
one hunirad feet high. Each Of the four
corners rises boldly into square pavilions.
Imagine such magnificent proportions,
broken by the pavilion towers by project
ing minuets, by archsd openings and i'm.
mense panels; behind them rising in relief
the great roof; above all the towering GU
pola aud spire, connected in relief with the
pavilion9 with flying buttresses; imagine
these proportions clothed all about with the
products Of the corn field and decked out
with these in profusion of beauty; one
grand harmonious whole, stately witness
northwest the realm of king corn. It is a
spectacle to enchain attention, to command
admiration.
Take the great fronts Of the structure on
Fifth and jackson streets, and none who
have not seen would believe that such magi'
cal effects could be wrought ought of the
materials of the corn field. Take the 2lC
feet frontage ON Fifth street. and every
square ipch Of it is wrought into some Gun.
ming and representative form Of the king OF
products The walls rise one harmonies,
though varigated, mass of the stalk and
leaf; at the base, wicker work, green as the
rushes of the Nile, and here and there,
pendant, in rich contrast, as the golden
ears. The double arches Of the openings in
the pavilione are faced with rows Of ears,
sometimes richly fringed with the husk,
sometimes of one color and sometimes of
another; now in one form and again in an
other. Then, the great panels in the body
Of the wall and the columns rising high to
battlement-here is one of the special mar
vels of the unique creation, or rather scores
Of marvels. In each Of score Of these
panels or divisions there Is wro ought some
design-here a diamond and there checker,
here motto and there some other inscrip-
tion-wrought from corn of a dozen kinds
and dozen hues-golden yellow, pure
white, blood red, violet and 80 on. Against
these ingenious forms of beauty stands the
quiet, but none the less effective beauty of
the corn clad columns, broken by the col
umns, around which are bound the russell
blades of the corn plant and a graceful
combination Of grains and grasses. Along
the upper line of the front runs shiny hem
of oats, interspersed in places by the dark
seed Of the sorghum plant, corn ears Of
flaming red or some other relieving color.
Still above rise the graceful minarets,
raimented in rich colors Of native grasses,
and crowned with tufts of millet, and flying
banners, In the back ground rises the roof,
a seeming solid mass of corn almost and
from it towers the oupola, its arches
wrought like those below, and here and
there panels Of curious forms Of corn, red,
white, violet, yellow and all colors under
the sun, surrounded and interwoven with
the plant itself and other products in every
conceivable shape.
Passing to the interior of the great struc-
ture amazement finds fresh stimulus az
every turn. There hangs sunflower, per-
feet in form and color, yet every fiber from
the corn plant. YondeI are the tiger lilies,
Of the same elements, illusion perfect-who
would have believed itl Everywhere,
boquets, panels, ceilings, notices, draperies,
pendants, stars statues Of Ceres, bells, lat
tice work, beaded curtains, all forms Of
farmers implements-every last one made
Of the corn or OF the plants that grow with
1t. As you enter the wide portal, above is
the seal official of the city bar and
coloring made Of corn; beyond, great
spider and his web spread out above; still
higher hangs a mammoth bell; to the left
there b q tableau Of "The Golden Stair"
further on the figure Of an Indian and an
eagle-an made and dressed with the blade
and grain and stalk Of corn. One great
marvel OF the scene Is a landscape, 'The
Setting Sun" the great orb itself made all
Of corn, the beams shot with the brilliancy
Of the grain, and she perspective with such
skil executed "a to deceive the keenest eye.
These are but samples A hundred other
curioul shapes and fantasies would weary
the oh-looker II all were not 80 new, 80
strangely made out Of material 90 long
thought common and despised, yet now
found 10 oublush the rose and shame the
lily,
Within electric lights render all q very
castle OF enohantment. Outside an elabor-
ate system make brilliant illumination.
Nine great arches span the streets, and al
the corner Of the palace is tower blazing
and brilliant, and altogether from 5000 tl
1000 globes and jets, after the fashion OF
the illumination at the great st. Paul ice
palace The scene at night is magnificent